Supply Chain Expertise and Technology Blog by TMC, a division of C.H. Robinson

Let’s go back a year. Imagine me telling you that on a sunny Saturday in Chicago we’d invited Chicago Bears’ players Greg Olsen, Matt Forte, and Brian Urlacher to play kickball with us? Oh, and what if I threw in that Vince Vaughn would be coaching and Kevin James would be running the bases with very serious intentions of running you over?

You likely wouldn’t have believed me – but it happend. And it’s about to happen again, but this time, we’ll go bigger and better.

For the second year running, together with C.H. Robinson, Chicago Bears’2013-05-22 19:24:02′ tight end, Greg Olsen, will be hosting the Kicks for a Cure kickball tournament July 9th, 2011, at Chicago’s Grant Park. The event has quickly become the largest charity kickball tournament in the world and raises money to support Receptions for Research. This is Greg Olsen’s foundation which focuses on raising money for cancer research and care for cancer patients.

In talking to Greg about his Mother he said, “Her diagnosis came as a great shock to our family. Through her will and exceptional care she overcame breast cancer. We always said that if we were in a position to give back we would. This is our way of doing that.”

Registration for the Kicks for a Cure tournament is open to the public and teams can sign up at http://kicksforacure.mytmc.com/. The registration fee for a team of 12 players is $1,200 or $100 per person. C.H. Robinson has committed to matching a percentage of all donations.

You do not have to play kickball to participate. There are a number of other ways to get involved including:

· Donate products. A tournament like this requires a variety of supplies such as juice, water, and snacks for the hundreds of players and spectators. If you would like to donate items, please contact Jason Chamberlain or Andrea Poitrast.

· Purchase a pass or a set of day passes. If you don’t want to play, but would like to show your support, watch the event, and interact with players you can purchase a pass for $50 per person which includes food and drinks.

· Volunteer.Believe it or not finding individuals to referee games is the event’s biggest challenge. This is a simple and easy way to contribute and you might get to referee a few NFL pros. Sign up at http://kicksforacure.mytmc.com/.

· Spread the word.Become a fan on Facebook and have access to pictures and information about the event. Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to visit these sites and tell them to sign up! You can also view Greg Olsen’s just released video about the tournament here:

Above all, come join us on July 9th for a fun day that helps a very special cause. A genuine win-win for everyone involved.